No Place I'd Rather Be
by Palmviolet
Summary: When DS David Nolan finds a woman bleeding out in an alleyway, the last thing he expects is to fall into a whirlwind romance with the victim's sister. Part of my Modern AU series. No magic. Characters: David, Mary Margaret, Regina, Emma, Henry & Ruby.
1. Chapter 1

**hey. this is another part to my Modern AU series, the chronogical order of which can be found on my profile. This one is multi-chapter, and is kinda a prequel for the big Christmas fic I'm posting soon.**

**The characters in this are David, Mary Margaret, Regina, Emma, Henry & Ruby.**

A gunshot echoed through the curiously empty streets. David was immediately on alert, running towards the source of the sound.

He slowed down as he approached the scene, walking cautiously. He had no desire to be shot himself.

He rounded the last corner, into a narrow alleyway. There was a woman sitting against the wall, her face pale, clutching at her stomach. Her attacker stood over her, his face covered, but when he saw David, he sprinted off.

David wrestled with himself. Should he go after the mystery assailant, or help the woman? Without help, she could die.

He hurried towards the woman.

He knelt beside her, taking in her features and short dark hair. With a jolt, he realised he recognised her.

"Hey, Regina, isn't it?" He said quietly.

"Who wants to know?" She fired back, obviously capable of defending herself, even injured.

David took a metaphorical step back. "DS Nolan, from Letchworth CID*." He showed her his ID.

"Shouldn't you be calling an ambulance or something? I would, truly, love to sit and chat but I might be bleeding out on the pavement right now." Regina commented sarcastically, the last few words coming out in a breathless wheeze. She grimaced, and David produced his phone from his pocket.

"You have to keep pressure on the wound," he explained as he dialled.

Regina raised her eyebrows. "Really?" She shot back, but the sarcasm was stale and strained.

David knew that the average response time for an ambulance was around eight minutes, but those eight minutes seemed to last hours. He remembered that it was important not to let the patient fall unconscious, so he moved back against the wall beside her and started talking.

"You're that famous lawyer, aren't you?" He asked companionably.

"What of it? It's plain you know who I am anyway." She closed her eyes and tilted her head back.

He faltered, disencouraged. However, David Nolan was nothing if not stubborn. "So, do you have any nice plans for Halloween?"

Regina opened her eyes and looked at him incredulously. "Seriously? Are you sure you are who you say you are? Shouldn't you be interviewing me or something?"

David sighed. "Fine. If you're so keen, then... What did your attacker look like?"

"He had a balaclava on, genius. I know who he was, anyway." Her eyes slid shut again, and she suddenly looked very tired.

"Oh! Oh. So who was he?" He suddenly felt very foolish.

"Well I don't know who he was specifically, but I know who hired him."

David's brow furrowed in confusion. "So he was a hitman?"

"No, because my enemy just went up to a shop assistant in Tesco's and paid him to kill me." Regina shook her head, but there was a small playing on her lips.

"Who is this... enemy of yours?" He questioned.

She didn't answer.

"Miss Mills? Regina?" He leaned towards her, forcing himself to stay calm. She had sunk further against the bricks, and her skin had become even paler. Her breathing was shallow and unhealthily uneven, and when he felt for her pulse it was weak and erratic.

The sound of a car door slamming made him look up. He smiled slightly as his boss, DCI Emma Swan, strode towards him.

"God dammit David! I was about to eat a pizza and watch reruns of The Big Bang Theory!" She said angrily, but she calmed down at the sight of Regina, slumped against the wall.

"You called an ambulance?" She asked, crouching down beside the older woman.

"What do you take me for? Of course I did!" David retorted.

"All right, all right. How long ago was this, though?" She replied, wrapping her red jacket tighter around her body.

He sighed. "About..." He looked at his watch. "At around ten past eleven."

"Oh, they should be here soon then." She mimicked David's position against the wall. "Did you see the guy's face?"

"Nah. He was wearing a balaclava. She," he gestured to Regina," seems to think he was a hired gun."

"A hitman?" A look of interest crossed Emma's face. "We don't get many of them, that's for sure."

David rolled his eyes, but before he could reply, a siren echoed faintly in the distance.

"That'll be us." He scrambled to his feet and stretched. Emma extended her hand up towards him, obviously wanting a hand up.

"Not a chance." He grinned, and she scowled up at him, before getting to her feet herself.

***I have no idea whether Letchworth CID exists, and it probably doesn't. I just made it up for ease of writing. **

**Also, all you people with medial expertise out there are probably cringing right now because of the huge medical inaccuracies. I know nothing about medicine whatsoever, so prepare for huge fails in that area.**

**Please R&R! (no flames though please)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi. Sorry about how short each chapter is. Also please try and put up with the awful jerky scene changes in this - I don't usually write like that but I dunno what's happened.**

**Enjoy, anyway.**

Ruby's phone buzzed loudly in her pocket, causing a look of annoyance to flash across her face.

"Aren't you going to answer it?" Henry asked.

She scowled at him. Her adoptive cousin had to be the most annoying, yet at the same time adorable, ten year old in the history of ten year olds.

"No, Henry, I'm not. Can we please shut up now? We're just getting to the good bit."

"But I don't like this movie. It's soppy and rubbish." He complained.

She smirked. "That's not what you said half an hour ago."

"But half an hour ago they were killing zombies!"

Her phone buzzed again. She rolled her eyes and paused the movie.

"Hello? Ruby Lucas speaking."

She listened to the caller for a few minutes, shock creeping in, before hanging up.

"Get your coat, kid. We're going to King's Cross." She said grimly.

Henry looked up at her, confused. "What's happened?"

"Your mum's been shot."

* * *

><p>David looked up as a short, slim woman with dark hair cut in a pixie cut hurried across the waiting room towards them. He stood up and offered her his seat.<p>

"You're Mary Margaret Blanchard, right? Ms Mills' sister?" He asked.

She nodded. "Stepsister, actually. How is she? Can I see her?"

"She'll live. She's sleeping right now." He replied, the answer coming out in a long sigh. He seemed to be sighing a lot lately.

"Can I see her?" Mary Margaret questioned hurriedly, not waiting for an answer before rushing off. David rolled his eyes and followed her, intrigued.

"Hey! David! I got you coffee, remember? You can't just force me to get you coffee then just leave me! I am your superior!" Emma yelled, striding quickly across the waiting room, earning some raised eyebrows from the people around her.

"Fine." He said, exasperation colouring his tone. He took the coffee, and walked in the direction of the wards, where Mary Margaret was presumably headed.

"Where do you think you're going?" Emma questioned, raising one eyebrow.

"We have a witness, remember? We have to question her."

His boss scoffed. "I'm sure you'll get some iluminating answers, providing she wakes up for you when you get there."

David scowled and ignored her, continuing to the wards. He heard Emma groan in annoyance and hurry to catch up.

When they arrived at the ward, Mary Margaret was seated in a green plastic chair next to Regina's bed, watching her, a pensive expression on her face.

She looked up as they entered, then her gaze returned to her stepsister.

"I was hoping you might be Henry and Ruby." She said absently, by way of explanation.

Emma made a quizzical face. "And they are?"

"Henry is Regina's adopted son. He's ten. And Ruby is a distant cousin of Regina's."

Regina herself didn't look too bad, all things considered. Her skin wasn't as pale as it had been in the alley. In fact the only clue as to how ill she was was the IV line connected to her wrist, and the constant beep of the heart monitor.

David pulled out a chair for him and Emma, and they sat down.

"These chairs are horrible." She commented awkwardly, trying to break the ice drowning the silence.

It didn't work.

They were saved from any more awkwardness by the door swinging open. David looked up, to see a tall woman with long dark hair and a boy who must have been Henry.

The woman, who was probably Ruby, didn't hesitate in going straight to Regina's side.

Henry, however, paused, and looked straight past David at Emma.

"Mum?"


End file.
